More Than This
by nothingXpersonal
Summary: Feeling lost and alone, Fang meets Max, the bright and beautiful girl he never seemed to notice before. Max slowly puts him back together and he falls for her. However, it's not that simple. Max isn't his to have, she has a boyfriend. Will Fang ultimately be able to win her or will he have to say goodbye and let her move on? FAX!


Well, it's been quite awhile since I've uploaded _anything_ on fanfiction! It's actually sad when I think about it... As you obviously know, this is a new story of mine that actually I hadn't really intended to be anything at all. I was just sitting at my computer earlier today and started typing what I thought would be a revision of my other story _Maximum Ride: She's the Man_. Instead, I got a whole new story :)

**Disclaimer****: **This is my plot idea/story. Any characters recognized from the books belong to James Patterson. Any characters you do not recognize are my creations!

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**Chapter One**

_This Is Only the Beginning_

Every night it was always the same. _Faster! _Fang told himself. He picked up speed, not looking back. His palms were sweaty from gripping the wheel so tightly. Fang never had to finish the dream to know what would happen next. He would loose control, crashing the car.

"The subconscious is a funny thing, Nick," said Dr. Dwyer as she jotted something down on her clipboard that rested on top of her crossed legs. Her left foot bounced up and down as she wrote, something Fang noticed out of the corner of his eye. She tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear before adjusting her thick, purple rimmed glasses.

Fang hated when people called him Nick. He had grown tired of correcting Brigid Dwyer, she had made it very clear that during the hour he was in her office she would call him by "the name his parents had given him." Fang laughed at that thought. Nick was his father's name. Dr. Dwyer of all people should know that the last thing Fang would want to do is honor his dad in the slightest way. Even his own mom called him Fang now, not wanting to be reminded of the man who broke her heart multiple times and finally skipped town for good. Anne still had no idea that her husband had tried to come home a few weeks after storming out of the house. Fang had caught word that Nick Walker was back in town and cornered him. Fang still wasn't sure what had possessed him to approach his dad. He had been overcome with anger toward Nick after what he did to Anne that Fang just snapped. Remembering that night, Fang ran his fingers over the three inch long scar on his collar bone.

"Nick?" Fang's eyes darted to meet Dr. Dwyer's at the sound of her voice. "Our time's just about done, is there anything else you would like to tell me?"

Fang's answer was always the same: "No."

Dr. Dwyer sighed and put her clipboard to the side. "Nick," she said softly, "one of these days you're going to have to tell me what's going on. I can't help you otherwise."

_I'm graduating in a few months and you can't follow me to college, _Fang thought. "I don't need any help," he told her bitterly.

"You lost your father and sister⎯" Fang winced at the mention of Angel "⎯that can't be easy for anyone."

_Angel. _Everyone told him it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't think of who else to blame. He had been the one driving. He had been the one not paying attention. He was the one who lost control of the car. His father blamed Fang. Deep down Fang knew even a part of his own mother blamed him for the death of eight-year-old Angel.

"There are steps to be made in the grieving process, Nick, I've told you this many times. You have to forgive and accept that those who are not apart of your life anymore forgive you too." Dr. Dwyer folded her hands in her lap. It was a school policy that students who are faced with difficulties, such as Fang's father leaving and Angel's death back in September, were to at least meet with the school counselor once a week for an hour session. If this had not been enforced by Fang's teachers and Anne, Fang wouldn't go at all. It was pointless to him since he had nothing to say. "Talk to me, Nick," she pleaded.

Fang looked away. This hour was torturous, reminding him of events he desperately wished to put behind him at all costs and here Dr. Dwyer was, telling him to talk about it. Fang noticed the clock. The required hour was up. He stood up and nodded politely to Dr. Dwyer. "See you next week," he mumbled, wanting nothing more than to get out of that stuffy office as fast as possible.

"Nick," Dr. Dwyer said quickly just as he was about to slip out the door.

"Yes?"

"My door's always open if you need someone to talk to." This was something Dr. Dwyer never failed to add hopefully before Fang left.

"I know," was all he said before he closed the door behind him.

Fang walked through the empty hallways of Newark Memorial High School. He stopped by his locker to grab his lunch he had yet to eat before heading outside. He found an empty bench by the baseball field and watched as the team practiced. He caught a few of his old friends watching him but made no move to say hello. After all that had happened Fang wanted as much space from everyone as possible. The only one who Fang couldn't seem to get rid of had been Iggy Jones. In the end, Iggy staying around turned out to be a good thing for him. It gave him someone to talk to and see movies with on the weekends. He spotted Iggy, dressed in the catcher's gear, making his way over to Fang.

"There's still time to change your mind and come out for the team," Iggy said, sitting down beside Fang.

Fang shook his head. "I don't think so." Angel had promised to come to all of Fang's games this year and now she couldn't. There was no point to go out for the team feeling guilty at every game that Angel's spot under her "lucky tree" would be empty or filled by someone else's family member.

Iggy didn't press the subject anymore, he knew why Fang quit baseball. He knew that Fang, who once was the talk of the school, preferred to go unnoticed now. "How was sexy Dwyer today?" Iggy asked.

Fang shrugged. "Same as always."

Iggy stretched his legs out, making himself more comfortable on the wooden bench. "If I was spending an hour with her every week for a year I would've hopped on that by now."

Fang rolled his eyes.

"What?" Iggy asked innocently. "She's hot. Not many redheads are hot, but she is one fine lady."

Fang jokingly punched Iggy in the shoulder. "She's old enough to be your mom."

Iggy smirked. "I bet she's had experience then."

"You're disgusting," Fang chastised him.

Iggy ran his hand through his strawberry-blonde hair. "What's your plan, man? You can't live like this forever."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Iggy chuckled. "To hell with that, you know exactly what I mean. I can't just sit back and watch my best friend wither away into nothing. You got to get back out there. You have to start living again, Fang."

"Why?" he asked. "Why should _I _get to go live my life while Angel's buried six feet under the ground? How is that fair?"

Iggy tossed the baseball between his hands. "She wouldn't want you blaming yourself, Fang. She'd want you to be happy. You aren't doing her any favors by acting like this. What would she think of you throwing away your life like this? This is only the beginning of your life, don't waste it." Minutes past by and the two boys said nothing to each other. Finally, after being called back by his coach, Iggy said, "My mom wanted me to drop off spaghetti for you and your mom tonight. I'll be by around seven." Iggy stood up, patted Fang on the back as if to say _Everything's going to work out_, and jogged back to the batter's cage.

Fang sat quietly on the bench for a little, watching the practice. The part of him that missed the sports, the friends, the feeling of having the world in his palm was overshadowed by the loss of Angel and just the idea that if he had done just one thing differently, she would still be alive.

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Any thoughts? Don't worry, Fang won't be sad for long. Especially once he meets Max which is coming very soon :)


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